[Electrocardiography coupled with transthoracic echocardiography at rest in the diagnosis of cardiac impairments in type 2 diabetics: lessons learned from a cross-sectional case series in Burkina Faso].

Diabetes is a powerful independent cardiovascular risk factor. The aim of this study is to describe the electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities observed in patients with type 2 diabetes treated in the Department of Medicine at the University Hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of all patients with type 2 diabetes who gave consent from April to September 2014. We gathered clinical data from all the patients. They, moreover, underwent electrocardiography and doppler echocardiography. A total of 155 diabetics were investigated. The average age of patients was 55 years (IQR: 47-64) with a female predominance (sex ratio 0.5). Electrocardiographic abnormalities included repolarization abnormalities (31%) and atrial rhythm disorders (16,12%). Echocardiographic examination showed left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in 20,64% of cases. Left atrium was dilated in 14.19% of cases, LV was dilated in 1.3% of cases. Abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction was detected in 3.87% of cases. Nosological entities included hypertensive heart disease in 27 cases (54%), ischemic heart disease in 19 cases (38%), dilated cardiomyopathy in 2 cases (4%) and diabetic cardiomyopathy in 2 cases (4%). Heart failure was detected in 22 cases (44%) independently from cardiac impairment. Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities are frequent in type 2 diabetes population at the University Hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso. Improved cooperation between cardiologists and diabetologists as well as the establishment of adequate technical screening equipment would be prerequisite for better cardiac risk stratification in this population.